Early childhood education hands on activities are practical and beneficial. Preschoolers learn how to engineer apple towers through engaging hands on learning – STEAM Activities for Preschoolers.
How to Engineer Apple Towers
Our apple towers are a part of our whole Letter A ABC STEAM Activities lesson plan. I’ve got a lesson plan centered around the letter A for preschoolers that includes a Science Activity, Technology Lesson, Engineering (hence you are here!) Art and Math lesson! Use this as a resource for your teaching classroom or at home use for homeschooling!
Materials Needed:
- Apples, cut into different size pieces
- Toothpicks
Parent or Teacher need to cut the apples into different size pieces. If you let your preschooler help supervision is needed.
Step by Step:
- Encourage your preschooler to start with a good foundation. Use this time to ask questions and encourage them to think about how tall their tower can get.
- Let them use toothpicks to engineer and build their apple tower.
- Remember there is no right or wrong way…as long as your tower stands!
Part of the STEAM learning is to engage your preschooler to think and learn through hands on activities. Some may say how can a preschooler learn the concept of engineering? Well I’m glad you asked because I wrote an entire article on the benefits of the early learner getting to engage with hands on activities to provoke thinking and processing through the activity. How to Teach Engineering to Preschoolers
Let your preschoolers play, explore and learn – “expose them early” as The Educators Spin On It says.
Ask your preschooler questions along the way. This only helps them think and learn as you go.
- We counted our apple pieces = MATH (STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math and I try to incorporate as many aspects of STEAM into an activity as possible!)
- Ask your preschooler about the foundation of their tower.
- Before you start ask them how tall they think they can engineer and build their tower.
- Ask them what materials they are using i.e. apples, toothpicks which are made from wood
- Measure your tower when it’s completed.
- If their tower falls encourage them to try and try again!
More –> STEAM Activities for Preschoolers
STEAM Engineering Activities:
- Engineering Cheerio Towers
- 16 Engineering Activities for Preschoolers
- Engineering a Bird Feeder
- Easter Engineering
- Engineering Alphabet Towers
We are a husband and wife team, pairing our strengths together to teach our preschooler in the most fun and engaging way we possibly can. The mister is a high school educator at Northlake Christian school in Covington Louisiana and over the Innovation Center, which is all things STEAM. I am a SAHM that blogs pretty much everything we do in our little paradise, from what we eat, to where we travel to how we teach our little one. We hope you are inspired to incorporate STEAM into learning with your children.
Leave a Reply